'Ant-Man and the Wasp': Why Legacy Is A Major Part Of The Movie

For comic book readers, it's no secret that a superhero mantle is often times passed from one character to another. Sure, most people know Steve Rodgers as Captain America -- but that hasn't stopped Bucky Barnes or Sam Wilson from picking up the shield at various points throughout the Marvel comic mythos.

The same scenario proves true for Ant-Man. While the Ant-Man moniker was first used by Hank Pym, it was eventually passed onto a cat burglar by the name of Scott Lang.

When Marvel Studios originally green lit an Ant-Man movie some time ago, they decided to go the Scott Lang route instead giving us Pym as Ant-Man right from the get-go. On a visit to the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp -- the second movie a part of Marvel Studios' Ant-Man franchise -- ComicBook.com had the opportunity to sit down with director Peyton Reed and discuss what legacy means to the Ant-Man character.

"We deal with it really head on in the movie because I think the thing that we deal with more in this movie is maybe the, the disappointment of the mentor," Reed explained.

Reed went to compare the mentorship between Pym (Michael Douglas) and Lang (Paul Rudd) between Ant-Man and it's successor.

"The first movie is all about I have this technology and what happens to it," said Reed. "I'm too old to deal with this now and to whom do I bequeath this to and in the first movie, the answer is right in front of his face the whole time."

The Ant-Man and the Wasp director then explained how Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) is Pym's choice to replace her father as the superhero.

"It's Hope he chooses for his own particular reasons to go outside the box, but now that is all about like, accepting the responsibility of this incredible, incredibly powerful technology."

Reed then went on to talk about Lang's actions during the events of Captain America: Civil War. As a direct result of Scott's actions in aiding Captain America (Chris Evans), the consequences that follow don't necessarily sit well with Douglas' Pym.

"But after the events of Civil War, Scott has proved to be somewhat unreliable in that regard, so we really, that, that's a big, character thrust in this movie is a mentor who may be is questioning his decision in a big, big way."

Are you looking forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp? Who do you think will end up being the better mentor: Michael Douglas as Hank Pym or Michelle Pfeffier as Janet van Dyne? Let us know in the comments below!

Ant-Man and the Wasp opens in theaters on July 6.

Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5th, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.